Christine Downey-Schmidt was appointed to the Kansas Board of Regents by former Governor Kathleen Sebelius in 2005 and was reappointed by Governor Mark Parkinson in 2009. She currently serves as a member of the Board’s Fiscal Affairs and Audit Committee and has previously served as a member of the CEO Assessment and Academic Affairs Committees. She served as the Board’s Chair from 2007-2008, and as Vice Chair from 2006-2007. A former Kansas State Senator, Downey-Schmidt was elected to three four-year terms, serving from 1992 to 2004. As a State Senator, she served as the Ranking Minority Member of the Ways and Means, Education, and Agriculture Committees.

Downey-Schmidt serves on the Boards of Directors of the Kansas Arts Commission and the Dyck Arboretum of the Plains in Hesston, she serves as the Co-Chair of the Governor’s P20 Education Council, and as a respresentative on the Governor’s Dropout, Prevention, Graduation and Retention Commission. In addition, she is a member of the Kansas Institute of Peace and Conflict Resolution in North Newton and the American Association of University Women. She has served as a member of the Kansas Educational Leadership Commission.

Downey-Schmidt attended Wichita State University where she earned a B.A. in Elementary Education and a M.S. in Education Administration and Supervision. She enjoyed a 20-year teaching career that ranged from the pre-school to college levels. She and her husband, Gordon, have four married children and seven grandchildren. She enjoys traveling, gardening, reading, and being a grandparent.

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